Taking Care of Your Skin During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, anatomical and hormonal changes can cause many skin imperfections. The skin changes, but fortunately, there are things you can do to soothe and reduce these discomforts.

Here is a list of common skin changes that can occur during pregnancy:

STRETCH MARKS
Almost 90% of pregnant women will notice their skin cracking revealing pinkish traces on their abdomen. After giving birth, these stretch marks fade, but they never disappear completely. So you might as well treat right from the beginning of the pregnancy to prevent their apparition.

What to do?
Exercise and moisturize quickly and intensely the areas you know will stretch, the abdomen, the breasts and the hips among others. Massage in a circular motion with a replenishing body butter. This is relaxing and it also improves skin circulation.

MASK OF PREGNANCY
Also known as melasma or chloasma, the mask of pregnancy is characterized by local brown spots on the forehead and cheeks. During pregnancy, your body produces more hormones which increases pigmentation. Nearly 50% of women will show signs of this problem and on 10% of them, the problem will persist or will reappear with the use of the contraceptive pill. That’s why maintaining good habits is fundamental to avoid these spots.

What to do?
Take your protective shields out: SPF 15 (minimum) sun care cream, hat, light covering clothes. No need to mention that you should avoid sun bathing!

IMPERFECTIONS
Hormonal upsets during pregnancy disrupt sebaceous glands that increase their sebum production and make the skin oilier and more prone to pimple breakouts, to acne and imperfections.

What to do?
Adopt a strict beauty routine to purify your skin. Choose adapted products and visit your beauty professional to get the best advice for your skin. Avoid the use of harsh products that could irritate your skin even more.

You can also use anti-imperfection products to correct and conceal minor imperfections.

VARICOSE VEINS
Varicose veins are the bluish veins that appear on the legs. If you have a family history of varicose veins, chances are that you’ll also be dealing with this discomfort.

What to do?
Avoid standing or sitting for long periods, walk to increase your blood flow, wear support stockings, take your dose of vitamin C to keep your veins healthy and lift your legs up regularly.

ITCHY SKIN
With stretching skin often comes dryness and itching. If late in the pregnancy, the symptoms worsen, you should talk with your doctor.

What to do?
To soothe the discomfort, it is important to wash with gentle products and to keep your skin well hydrated.

And maybe we could conclude on a positive note by talking about the PREGNANCY GLOW. As a matter of fact, during pregnancy, your body produces 50% more blood and this gives the skin a pinkish glow. Moreover, the skin retains more moisture, which plumps it up smoothing out fine lines. This little extra could all make us blush with envy…